“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill

When it comes to entrepreneurship, there are a ton of correct things you need to do in order to be successful…but what about the things you shouldn’t do?

In the world of social media, we are often influenced daily with quotes like “hustlers don’t sleep” and other nonsensical one-liners that distort the reality of what it truly takes to be an entrepreneur.

So today, I felt like we needed to discuss the “real” things entrepreneurs aka you should not do!

 

#1 – Compromise Your Integrity

This one is first for a reason. Without integrity, it doesn’t matter what other values you may possess. They all become worthless once you lose this one. Successful entrepreneurs never compromise their values and their integrity for a win. Entrepreneurs that do, win short term but lose the long game almost every single time. Successful entrepreneurs believe in doing things the right way every single time, even if it means taking longer to realize a certain goal.

 

#2 – Wait for Perfect

 

“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” — Jimmy Carter

Those that act first, win first. This is true when it comes to all endeavors, especially entrepreneurship. We can make all types of plans and determine a million different what-if scenarios but plans almost never work exactly as intended. Now it is important to plan, but don’t plan to be perfect. If you’re waiting for everything to be perfect before you launch, you make never take action. Make a plan, execute the plan, and pivot and correct as needed. That’s how successful entrepreneurs move forward.

 

#3 – Being Serious All of the Time

 

Should you take your goals seriously? Of course!

Should you be serious about your success? Yes!

But what you should not do is be serious all of the time. Having fun when it comes to entrepreneurship keeps you young and it keeps you creative. It also keeps you from getting stressed out and depressed when things don’t always go the way you expected them to. Successful entrepreneurs know that winding down and having fun from time to time leads to a more productive work environment, better ideas, and a greater quality of life. Who wants to be serious all of the time? It sounds boring and makes you look and feel boring. Successful entrepreneurs refuse to be serious ALL OF THE TIME!

#4 – Trying to Please Everyone

“I can’t tell you the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” – Ed Sheeran

You can not and will not be able to please everyone all of the time. There will always be people that are doubtful, critical, and skeptical of your ideas and goals. I wouldn’t call them haters, but they are just being people and it is natural to encounter these types. There will also be people on the other side of the coin that support you and believe in you, they may not even know you personally. Successful entrepreneurs are not afraid to make decisions and take actions that they know are right even if people may frown upon them.

Trust yourself and trust your decisions!

 

#5 – Make Excuses

“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
– George Washington Carver

Successful entrepreneurs are self-aware. They constantly evaluate who they are and identify their strengths and their weaknesses. They are true to themselves and those around them and own up to their accomplishments as well as their failures. When you make a mistake own it and fix it, but never deny it and hope that it will just go away. Not only does this compromise your integrity but it compromises the trust that others have in you and your ability to lead.

When things go wrong, don’t make excuses, make them right.

#6 – Be Arrogant

 

“Arrogance is a self-defense tactic to disguise insecurities.”
-Caroll Michels

If there is one thing that can derail your success as fast as any other, it would be arrogance. Successful entrepreneurs do not let success get to their heads and over-inflate their egos. Arrogance won’t help you gain the love and respect of others. Humility, on the other hand, is appreciated and truly respected.

Successful entrepreneurs know that on the road least traveled there is always more to learn, more to do, and there is always someone who knows more than you. Being arrogant severely limits your potential and causes harm and distress with personal and business relationships.

Be confident, never arrogant.

#7 – Give Up

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ―Nelson Mandela

One of the most important aspects of becoming a successful entreprneuer…is to never…ever give up. On the road to success, there will be failures, it’s inevitable. Successful entrepreneurs know this and live by this fact. They aren’t afraid of setbacks or roadblocks, they just keep moving and pushing forward no matter what. They learn and own their mistakes and improve upon them, each time getting better and more resourceful than they were previously.

This one of the most important secrets when it comes to success in anything, especially entrepreneurship. When the going gets tough they keep going without a loss of enthusiasm or optimism.

Never give up.

 

Conclusion

These are just a few things that successful entrepreneurs don’t do. Take a second and do a personal reflection to see if you may consciously or subconsciously fall victim to doing one of the above. If you do, don’t worry, this is a natural part of the process. Identify the areas you need to improve upon and work!

If you keep working and improving you will become a more successful entrepreneur.

I hope you enjoyed this quick post and I hope that it inspires you on your journey to wealth and abundance.

 

Homework: What are some other things that successful entrepreneurs don’t do?  Leave a comment below!